Next to learning how to tie your shoes and brush your teeth comes another huge milestone: learning how to wash hands. During cold and flu season, especially during critical times — after playtime or before snacktime — teaching the importance of handwashing is crucial for little ones, now more than ever. To assist the little hands in your life, we have some great tips and ideas to help you help them.
Teaching the importance of handwashing
Encouraging the general population to monitor their health and safety through hygiene can be quite a task. Close proximity spaces, like a preschool, can be overwhelming for caretakers to oversee — considering the tactile nature of children and frequently touched surfaces. However, at Kidico, we believe that instilling proper hygiene habits starts at a young age, through education, motivation and most importantly, fun. With undertakings like tidying up, good behaviour and lesson time, we break down the four steps to encouraging motivation for children. Additionally, fun ideas like stamps and star charts help build a sense of achievement and reward that anybody can get on board with.
How to put the hype in hygiene
The best practice we can suggest is starting to teach your little one by example. Make it a habit to wash hands regularly, in plain sight, as a joint activity. Habituation makes it easier for anybody to get into a routine so that it becomes second nature. Remember to encourage washing after playing, before eating, but also after coming home or touching foreign public objects. While you both take part in handwashing, remember to have the talk on ‘why’ hands need washing and how to avoid illness.
Handy handwashing tips
Use the right amount of soap. A R5 coin size blob of hand soap is sufficient, and don’t forget to make the sink, soap and faucet as accessible as possible. If needed, add a stepping stool for kiddies, or install a long handle for easy reaching.
When washing, remind your little ones to first wet, then lather, scrub for at least 20 seconds, rinse and dry properly afterwards.
Give them a cause — wash with PAWS
To foster extra diligence, make the process fun using a novel approach — a game to send the naughty germs away. To give children a visual to work with, we created the Protect and Wash Stamp, or PAWS for short. Stamp your child’s hand with a virus monster at the beginning of the day on both hands, and they must combat it by washing properly with soap and water. By the end of the day, the virus monster (and germs) should be gone, and your kid a hero.
When soap is a nope: use personalised sanitisers
When water and soap aren’t accessible, using hand sanitiser is the next best option. To make this alternative just as fun, we have created personalised sanitisers. This easy to use 60% alcohol-based sanitiser comes with a simple flip cap to dispense a lovely citrus-scented cleanliness. These little containers chave easy clips to attach to school bags, lunch bags or pencil cases. Kiddies just need to open the lid, squeeze the bottle, and rub their hands together to disinfect immediately. Choose from fun character designs like our panda, llama, dinosaur and hot air balloon to take hand-cleaning to new heights.
Staying firm on germs and more
We hope these ideas help you and the little ones in your life take on lifelong handwashing habits. Looking for customised children’s products? Contact us for more information.